Wool-washer.



F. L. FURBUSH. WOOL WASHER. APPLICATION FILED JULY 16, 1909.

Patented Apr. 12,1910.

UNITED STATES PATEN FFICE.

FRANK L. FURBUSH, OF NVESTFORD, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOB. TO C. G.SARGENTS SONS CORPORATION, OF GRANITE'VILLE, MASSACHUSETTS, ACORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

WOOL-WASHER.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK L. FURBUsH, a citizen of the United States,residing at lVestford, in the county of Middlesex and State ofMassachusetts, have invented a new and useful \Vool-lVasher, of whichthe following is a specification.

This invention relates to a washing machine, and is shown asparticularly adapted for a wool washer. As is well understood the toppress roll of a machine of this character is formed of rubber or otheryielding material which wears away and is of variable diameter, and isdriven by surface contact with the bottom press roll which is of metal.Sometimes the top press roll will stop on account of lack of sufficientfriction between the surface of the roll or a clog in the bite of thesame. Certain mechanisms have been provided for positively driving thetop roll at such times.

The principal objects of this invention are to provide a simpler andsurer means for positively driving the top press roll whenever it stops;and to provide a device for this purpose which will operate accuratelyand will have very few parts to wear and get out of order.

Further objects and advantages of the illvention will appearhereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1is a fragmentary side view of a portion of a wool washing machineshowing a preferred form of this invention applied thereto; and Fig. 2is a front view of the same.

The invention is shown as applied to a well known type of wool washerinvolving a tank 10, a screen 11, a rake 12 for moving the wool alongthe screen, and a guiding surface 13 for guiding the wool up from therake to the press rolls. The lower press roll 14 is shown as made asusual of metal, and as driving the upper press roll 15 which is made ofrubber or other soft material. As is usual, a gear 16 is mounted to turnwith the lower press roll, and these two parts are positively driven bymechanism not illustrated herein. The top press roll is fixed on a shaft17 on which is mounted to freely turn a gear 18 constantly meshing withthe gear 16, and having a few more teeth, so that it can rotate a littleslower than the gear 16.

Specification ofI-etters Patent.

Application filed July 16, 1999.

Patented Apr. 12, 1910.

Serial No. 507,950.

The gear 18 is provided with a casing 19 either fixed thereto orintegral therewith. This casing is provided with an internal cylindricalsurface 20, and inside of it is located a clutch member 21 fixed to theshaft 17 This clutch member is provided with a plurality of notches 22,each formed by a substantially radial end surface 23 and a surface 24extending from it substantially at right angles. Both of these surfacesof course extend to the circumference of the clutch member 21. Vithineach of the notches is mounted a roller 25 which preferably is eithercylindrical or spherical. This roller is of a diameter a little lessthan the longest distance between the surfaces 20 and 24 so that whilein position against the ra dial surface 23 it will not effectivelyengage the internal cylindrical surface 20, but when for any reasonthere is a motion between the clutch member 21 and the casing 19 in adirection opposite to the arrow shown in Fig. 1, (or in other words, thesurface contact fails to drive the top roll faster than the top gearrotates,) the roller will move outwardly along the surface 24 and becomewedged between this surface and the cylindrical surface, so as toprevent further loss of motion. It will be seen therefore that when thelower roll 14 drives the upper roll 15 in the direction of the arrow,the rolls 25 will be kept in inoperative position, and there may be arelative rotation between the member 21 and the casing 19 as indicatedby the arrow in Fig. 1.

It will be observed that if the top roll should stop for any cause, thegears will continue to be driven in the same way, and then there will bea motion of the casing 19 in the direction of the arrow while the clutchmember 21 remains substantially stationary or slows up. The result ofthis would be to roll the rollers 25 farther out and clutch the twoparts together, so that the gear 18 will carry the roll 15 along with itat a regular uniform rate of speed. At the same time if for any reasonthe obstruction or any other cause of stoppage is removed, the bottomroll immediately releases the clutch and takes up the rotation of thetop roll. In this way a very simple and effective construction isobtained which is not likely to get out of order in use, and which canbe depended upon to work properly.

While I have illustrated and described a preferred form of theinvention, I am aware that many modifications can be made therein by anyperson skilled in the art without departing from the scope of theinvention as expressed in the claims. Therefore I do not Wish to belimited to all the details of construction herein shown and described,but

l/Vhat I do claim is 1. In a wool washer, the combination of apositively driven press-roll, a second pressroll in contact therewithand adapted to be driven by surface contact with the positively drivenroll, a gear fixed to the positively driven roll, a casing rotatablymounted on the same axis as the second roll and having a gear thereonmeshing with the first named gear, and means connected with the secondroll and adapted to be engaged by said casing for rotating the secondroll when the second roll tends to rotate slower than the casing.

2. In a wool washer, the combination of a positively driven bottompress-roll, a top press roll in contact therewith and adapted to bedriven thereby, a gear on the bottom roll, a member rotatably mounted onthe axis of the top roll and having a gear there on meshing with thefirst named gear and driven thereby, said member having a cylindricalinner surface, a notched member rotatable within said inner surface andin contact therewith and fixed to the top pressroll, each notch thereofhaving an end surface, and a surface at an angle thereto, and a rollerin each notch adapted to become wedged between the cylindrical innersures mes face of the rotatably mounted member and the notched memberwhen the latter rotates slower than the former whereby said members willbe clutched together, said rollers being adapted to move back againstsaid end surfaces out of effective contact with the inner cylindricalsurface when the speed of the top roll again becomes normal.

3. In a washing machine, the combination of a positively driven pressroll having a non-yielding surface of constant diameter, a second pressroll frictionally driven by the first named press-roll and having ayielding surface of variable diameter, a gear fixed to the positivelydriven press-roll, a second gear mounted to turn on the axis of thefrictionally driven press roll and meshing with the first named gear,the second gear having an internal cylindrical surface, a notched membermounted within said cylindrical surface and fixed to the frictionallydriven press roll, each notch thereof having two surfaces, onesubstantially radial, and the other substantially perpendicular thereto,each extending to the circumference of the notched member, and rollersin said notches of a diameter a little less than the longest distancefrom said perpendicular surface to said internal cylindrical surface.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand, in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

' FRANK L. FURBUSH.

Witnesses:

OSBORN H. CILLEY, M. ALFARTH.

